Rain, Adventures and Warmth
by PegasusWingsVW
Summary: A young girl sneaks in after a day's adventure only to be caught by Lord Elrond. Story about my own character, I thought it was cute. Constructive criticism is welcome. I would love some reviews, that would be cool. Hope you enjoy.


Rain fell gently on the roofs of the Last Homely House on a lovely spring evening. All was quiet and at peace in the home. A a young girl climbed quietly over a balcony railing from the tree beside it. She stepped carefully in her bear feet across the room towards the door leaving wet foot prints as she went, then froze listening. Quietly, she backed away and turn quickly moved towards a separate hallway.

"Kailee" a voice sounded sternly from behind causing the girl to jump, "I have been looking for you pennth, turn and look at me child."

Reluctantly, the girl turned to look at her foster father revealing her soaking wet mud covered clothing, wildly tangled hair, smudged face and scraped up arms. Lord Elrond raised his eyebrows as he looked upon his guilty looking child. For a nine year old, Kailee managed to find considerable amounts of trouble. He had come to expect it from his sons and hoped that it would not also become a habit with his youngest child. The plus side was that she was an honest child and loath to with hold things from her family, and thus she could not lie about what had happened when she was caught sneaking in after a day's adventure.

"Ada, it's not as bad as it looks..." it was more of a hopeful question then a statement.

"Indeed, then you will not mind humoring me and coming to the healing wing." Elrond replied with a small amused smile. She was already shivering visibly and would no doubt caught a cold.

"Please Ada, I really am fine, I just need to wash up a bit is all!" His smile grew slightly and he gently reached out and took her hand, guiding her down the hall.

"Ada?" Looking down he saw Kailee giving him her very best brown puppy eyes.

"It is not going to work my little sunshine, but I promise you will not have to drink that tea you distaste so much unless you have caught a cold." Elrond said laughing. She responded by pouting slightly in silence.

"How do you _always_ know ada?"

"It is my job to know, and a secret not to be revealed lest people learn how to sneak past me."

"I can't even make it five steps inside before you caught me though ada!" said Kailee reproachfully, "Estel said that he and the twins can make it as far as their rooms before you find them."

"I remind you that they are considerably older and have had much more practice than you have."

"I suppose... you aren't angry are you?" her voice softened to a worried tone as she looked up at him. Elrond sighed slightly, the child was still so often worried about angering someone even after living with them for four years. The scars of her unhappy childhood and three years as a slave were slow to heal.

"I am not angry with you Kailee, though I do wish that you would not try to hid when your injure yourself in some way."

Kailee gave a sigh of relief and relaxed visibly. They reach the healing wing and Elrond lifted her up onto a counter to inspect the damage done to her arms and, he had noted while they walked, her foot.

"I'll try not to hid things anymore ada, but I worry you will be cross that am bothering you once more with such small things that do not matter."

Elrond looked up rather sharply at this comment causing Kailee's breath to catch ever so slightly. Realizing what she said had not been quite right, the young girl tensed and would have dropped her head to avoid eye contact if Elrond had not caught her chin in his hand.

"Do not _ever_ think that you do not matter." he said firmly, "You have never bothered me, and it would please me to no end if you came of your own accord when you are hurt. Do you understand sunshine?"

"Yes," Kailee nodded blinking back tears, "I'm sorry ada, forgive me I should have-"

"Hush now child, there is nothing to forgive," soothed the elven Lord, "Just remember that you are loved and cared for here, and that I love you my child."

With that he kissed her forehead and gave her a hug.

"Now then, tell me how did you acquired these new battle wounds?" In a flash, the cautious anxious child was gone and replaced with a girl full of enthusiastic energy that better suited her age.

"I was climbing up to the loft in the stable to see the new kittens, but my feet where wet and my dress caught, so I fell. Then after that I went out the the field to see Asfaloth and he wanted me to ride him so I did, but he was slippery 'cause he was wet and I forgot I don't ride well in a dress so I fell in the mud. I was so dirty I didn't want anyone to see me and I thought maybe it would cause a commotion so I climbed the tree in the west courtyard, but that was slippery and wet too and I nearly fell out of the tree when I tried to get across to the balcony," Kailee stopped for a breath, then gave a little shiver, "It was scary actually, I was a long way up ada, and I had forgotten not to climb in the rain, so then I thought you would be mad if you knew, but now you do." She glanced up with eyes that asked, _Are you mad?._ In answer, she received another kiss on her forehead.

"Well, that is quite the tale," said Elrond as he washed the scrapes on her arms, "I do not think that you will forget about the dangers of climbing in the rain so easily next time though."

"No." agreed Kailee, "I think it might be a while before I climb anything."

"Perhaps. Did you see the kittens?" asked Elrond, knowing it was time to change the subject. The fear of climbing would ease in time, for her spirit naturally lead her to the trees.

"Yes! Oh Ada, they are so funny! They where very concerned for me when I fell down, but when they decided I must be alright they had a grand game of tag and tackle!" exclaimed the youth with glowing eyes, "They reminded me of Dan, Ro and Estel!"

Laughing at this depiction Elrond inspected the swollen toes on her left foot.

"Does this hurt tithen pen?"

"A little, I stubbed them on the railing of the loft chasing a kitten."

"Hmm, anything else I should know of?"

"I think my knees are scrapped up too." And indeed they where. It was a job cleaning the dirt from the wounds and wrapping them up in soft cloth with an aloe shave.

"Ada, I think that it must be my dresses fault for making me fall so much." This solemn statement cause the elven lord to laugh once more before inquiring why she had come to such a conclusion.

" Because I get all tangled in the skirts, and it gets caught on things. Ro and Dan always make sure I wear my riding cloths when I go out with them. They say that they are my practical clothing."

"Yes, I believe they are right in what they say, perhaps Linearia will make you a few more sets of cloths like your riding outfit." The outfit was much like the dress of a boy, with trousers and a tunic, only the tunic was longer, held with a belt and fitted, with an elegant feminine look to it, but with less material so as to not catch on things. The colors where suitable for the woods as well, greens, browns and blue.

"Do you think so?"

"Indeed I do. I shall ask later this evening, but for now, I believe that we should get you ready for dinner. You shall need my help with your hair, it's as tangled as a wild horses mane!" teased Elrond.

He was rewarded with a bright smile and Kailee took her Ada's hand without fear, giggling like a child should.

"So long as you do not threaten to cut it like Estel did when he was home last Ada" she said with a bright smile.


End file.
